Sunday morning January 8

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lipsand our mouth will proclaim your praise.

Your light springs up for the righteousand all the peoples have seen your glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,king of the nations,to you be praise and glory forever.From the rising of the sun to its settingyour name is proclaimed in all the world.As the Sun of Righteousness dawns in our heartsanoint our lips with the seal of your Spiritthat we may witness to your gospeland sing your praise in all the earth.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,so may the light of your presence, O God,set our hearts on fire with love for you;now and forever.Amen.

Hymn

Baptized into thy name, mysterious one in three

Charles Wesley

Baptized into thy name,Mysterious One in Three,Our souls and bodies claim,A sacrifice to thee;And let us live our faith to prove,The faith which works by humble love.

O that our light may shine,And all our lives expressThe character divine,The real holiness;And then receive us up, to adoreThe triune God forevermore.

Confession of sin

Seek the Lord when he can still be found;call him while he is yet near.Let the wicked abandon their waysand the sinful their schemes.Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.

cf Isaiah 55

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Lord God,we have sinned against you;we have committed evil in your sight.We are sorry and repent.Have mercy on us according to your faithful love.Wash us completely clean of our guilt; purify us from our sin.Put a new, faithful spirit deep inside us,and return the joy of your salvation to usthrough Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

cf Psalm 51

May the Father of all merciescleanse us from our sins,and restore us in his imageto the praise and glory of his name,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Bless the Lord,because he has listened to our request for mercy.Therefore our hearts will rejoiceand we will thank him with our song.

cf Psalm 28:7,9

The Word of God

Psalm 89:19-29

Refrain:The Lord swore to David a true promise that he won’t take back.

Once you spoke in a vision to your faithful servants:I placed a crown on a strong man. I raised up someone specially chosen from the people.I discovered my servant David. I anointed him with my holy oil.My hand will sustain him— yes, my arm will strengthen him!No enemy will oppress him; no wicked person will make him suffer.I will crush all his foes in front of him. I will strike down all those who hate him.My faithfulness and my loyal love will be with him. He will be strengthened by my name.I will set his hand on the sea. I will set his strong hand on the rivers.He will cry out to me: “You are my father, my God, the rock of my salvation.”Yes, I’ll make him the one born first— I’ll make him the high king of all earth’s kings.I will always guard my loyal love toward him. My covenant with him will last forever.I will establish his dynasty for all time. His throne will last as long as heaven does.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:The Lord swore to David a true promise that he won’t take back.

Psalm prayer

Old Testament readingExodus 14:15-22

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to get moving. As for you, lift your shepherd’s rod, stretch out your hand over the sea, and split it in two so that the Israelites can go into the sea on dry ground. But me, I’ll make the Egyptians stubborn so that they will go in after them, and I’ll gain honor at the expense of Pharaoh, all his army, his chariots, and his cavalry. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I gain honor at the expense of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his cavalry.”

God’s messenger, who had been in front of Israel’s camp, moved and went behind them. The column of cloud moved from the front and took its place behind them. It stood between Egypt’s camp and Israel’s camp. The cloud remained there, and when darkness fell it lit up the night. They didn’t come near each other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord pushed the sea back by a strong east wind all night, turning the sea into dry land. The waters were split into two. The Israelites walked into the sea on dry ground. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading1 John 5:6-9

This is the one who came by water and blood: Jesus Christ. Not by water only but by water and blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. The three are testifying— the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and the three are united in agreement. If we receive human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because this is what God testified: he has testified about his Son.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:This is the Christ, the Chosen of God, the one who will bring healing to the nations.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:This is the Christ, the Chosen of God, the one who will bring healing to the nations.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers may be offered for:

the day and its tasksthe world and its needsthe church and her life

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Father, hear our prayer,through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Eternal Father,who at the baptism of Jesusrevealed him to be your Son,anointing him with the Holy Spirit:grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever.Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Believing the promises of God, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.

Conclusion

May Christ, who sends us to the nations, give us the power of his Spirit.Amen.